I have been sober 4 days now. I realize it's not that long of a time but bear with me. When I drank I was very productive, clean the house, cut the grass, work in the garden that kind of stuff. My wife is trying to be very helpful and keep my mind off of drinking and suggest we go work on the yard or clean the garage, but I have no motivation now it feels. Does/has anyone else had this same problem? I don't know what to do with myself. Is it worth it to quit drinking if I'm not going to be productive and be myself?

Everybody feels a little different when they get sober depending on how much we drank and for how long. But at 4 days, your body is still going through changes. Have you been to any meetings? Beginning to work the program with a sponsor will help tremendously.

(and if Brock comes along soon, he is much better at explaining things than I am).

Welcome here CanadianMist. It is very nice of Spirit Flower to vouch for my ability at explaining, I am not sure how much I can add in this instance.

My own experience was much like yours for many years, always motivated to do things when I drank, even sports, and always thought I was doing a better job than I could if I were sober. Unfortunately alcoholism is a progressive disease, and I eventually could do nothing without drinking, not even go to work, of course I was fired from a few jobs. And it got that bad that I would just drink and sit around, no motivation for anything.

I think Spirit is right in the changes your body is going through, we must keep in mind that alcohol produces something of a 'sugar rush' of energy, and often people are advised to eat candy and drink other sweet things after they quit, it helps with the withdrawal. If you Google a question something like 'why do I feel tired after I stop drinking,' I expect you will get some information.

Also our main text can be found by Goggling 'AA Big Book,' it won't make a lot of sense at first, but chapters like 'The Doctors Opinion and More About Alcoholism' might be useful. Also if you Google 'AA meetings' followed by your city or town, you will get a list, consider going to a few different ones, they vary and usually we find one we feel most comfortable in. The point is if you are an alcoholic of the type our book describes, you will be unable to stay sober for any length of time without doing what the program asks. It's not difficult, and everyone I have met in AA was worried that not drinking would lead to some sort of boring life, and found quite the opposite, it's a very clever program and a great life.

Please ask any questions here, we enjoy helping each other, best of luck.

"Good morning, this is your Higher Power speaking. I will not be needing your help today."

Do you ever stop thinking about drinking? I drank 4 or 5 times a week. I decided 5 days ago to quit drinking completely and start the process of quitting smoking. My dad was a very heavy drinker sometimes two bottles a day so when he passed two months ago ofva heart attack I decided I should quit before my 4 days a week turn into a problem. I quit smoking years ago for a six month period but even at the 5 month mark I still thought about smoking everyday. Is that what this will be like? Everyday am I going to say "Ok I'm on day <blank>"? Even a year from now? That just feels like a nightmare to me.

Everyday am I going to say "Ok I'm on day <blank>"? Even a year from now? That just feels like a nightmare to me.

If you fully realize that you are an alcoholic and do the work, you will experience what the book talks about. We call this the 10th step promise:

And we have ceased fighting anything or anyone, even alcohol. For by this time sanity will have returned. We will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, we recoil from it as from a hot flame. We react sanely and normally, and we will find that this has happened automatically. We will see that our new attitude toward liquor has been given us without any thought or effort on our part. It just comes! That is the miracle of it. We are not fighting it, neither are we avoiding temptation. We feel as though we had been placed in a position of neutrality safe and protected. We have not even sworn off. Instead, the problem has been removed. It does not exist for us. We are neither cocky nor are we afraid.

That is how we react so long as we keep in fit spiritual condition.

As you see we have to keep in fit spiritual condition. Like the body builder having to exercise the body, we have to keep working on growing spiritually every day.

Show him, from your own experience, how the peculiar mental condition surrounding that first drink prevents normal functioning of the will power (Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 92)

In my experience, and I was a daily drinker at the worst part of my drinking, it came to me when I got to the first AA meeting I ever went to, that all the other women in that group had found a solution to their drinking problem. I tried to stop drinking on my own with all my power for several months before I telephoned AA so I knew full well I was powerless over alcohol before I made th call. All that was left for me to do was aquire the book Alcoholics Anonymous, read it, and go to AA meetings where I could ask for help from those who were already sober to get better informed on how to go about the 12 step program of recovery.

My desire to drink was lifted from me after I did step 3, not long after I read the AA book. Many in AA who have found sobriety say they had instant relief at their first AA meeting and others find step 5 gave them freedom from any desire to drink. Whatever your situation you can get sober. We all found a power greater than ourselves which we could rely on rather than having to pick up a drink to face life. I found a new life lived on a basis I never knew was possible until I found the set of principles AA offers.

Welcome to you!

" Burn the idea into the consciousness of every man that he can get well regardless of anyone. The only condition is that he trust in God and clean house." page 98 A.A.

Feeling lazy and learning about time management. I had to learn to use my new free time in positive and constructive ways and part of those were not to do things I did which yield the drink. Going to face to face meetings can help with real people telling you real things about the change in early sobriety. Again this is 1-1.5 hours everyday that you won't drink in a meeting and so it is a start and you'll find it will get easier to manage.

Be well

Work hard, stay positive, and get up early. It's the best part of the day. George Allen, Sr.

I have been following the conversation and agree with what has been said, just want to add a couple of things.

I feel; and it was told to me when I tried the same thing; that stopping drinking and smoking at the same time was a double whammy I should not attempt. I did manage to quit the cigs about six months after the drink, (I found the patch helped a lot). And for me and others I have heard speak about it, the craving for tobacco does not go away as completely as the craving for booze, even after a good few years, every now and then I get a feeling for a smoke, but it passes quickly.

About these meetings, at first it seems like a hassle, some come to enjoy them others not so much, the good news is after you do the steps you can back off as much as you wish. I go to one sometimes two per week for the purpose of sharing my experience, and there are some people there who's company I have come to enjoy. Meeting attendance is not a life sentence, I wouldn't have stayed with AA if someone hadn't pointed that out to me.

"Good morning, this is your Higher Power speaking. I will not be needing your help today."

This topic is great, I am the same way. I used drink and do all kinds of stuff. now I do not drink and lack motivation to do anything. I think it is because I thought that if I was drinking it would be fun. Yet I learned I was doing activities I did not want to do because I was drinking. now I am just selective in my activities. Interesting post thought. thank you.

CanadianMist wrote:... but I have no motivation now it feels. Does/has anyone else had this same problem? I don't know what to do with myself. Is it worth it to quit drinking if I'm not going to be productive and be myself?

Hi and Welcome,

My mother quit drinking around 5 years ago and since then, has almost retired to her bed. She has little interest in life, just sleeping through the day. I have attempted many times to explain the 12 step process to her but she's uninterested. She's basically just what we call a dry drunk.So, what you're describing, I have seen first hand.

Have you begun working the steps? Read our book, ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, aka The Big Book.

I try to organize my daily tasks, plan everything and mark everything accomplished to motivate myself. Eventually I have a feeling of accomplishment and success. I'm not extremely selfrigorous either. And I never thought that I can earn some money while just playing for fun. While playing online I can get free spins here. It's a deal breaker!